OS X: We love a great productivity app that saves you time, but some software contends with our frugality. We like Better Rename because it makes quick work of renaming files with tons of powerful customization options. That said, it costs a little too much.

When Better Rename Is Worth the Money

When I needed to rename files, I threw them in Automator and set up an action that took care of business. Sometimes I had to run it a few times to get everything right and generally something caused a little aggravation. After putting up with a more DIY method I didn't like, I decided to suck it up and pay $20 for Better Rename in hopes of making my batch file renaming a bit easier. Obviously this is an app you use for a pretty specific purpose, which makes the higher price tag a bit tougher to swallow and completely ridiculous to those who don't actually have a reason to use it. But if you have to batch rename photos, a series of text files, MP3s, or whatever, it becomes incredibly useful.

The Cool Stuff Better Rename Can Do

Better Rename uses a drag and drop interface. You throw a few files into a window and then get started with a ton of renaming options. Aside from just manipulating existing text, you can also replace or append text to file names based on data inside the file itself. For example, if you have a photo with EXIF data that included a location, you could append the location to the filename automatically. If you had a bunch of generically named MP3 with ID3 tags you could use those ID3 tags to provide proper names to the files themselves. If you worry about making any changes and screwing up your file names, Better Rename provides a preview of what you're about to do—and warns you before you do it—so you don't cause yourself any grief.

How to Get a Discount

Regardless of how useful you may find Better Rename, you may not want to cough up $20. If that's the case, keep an eye out for bundles. Better Rename ends up in quite a few of them, including the Productive Macs Bundle happening right now. For $30, you get Better Rename plus eight other apps. Also, keep an eye out for price drops on sites like App Shopper so you can just grab Better Rename for a more attractive price.